"A first-class honours graduate in pure maths from the University of Sydney, he has gone on to have a varied and successful career, while always maintaining his curiosity and excitement about maths and science.

"He has a deep appreciation of their relevance to every aspect of our lives and of why it is essential that we keep students interested in these areas throughout their education."

Adam Spencer has been announced as the University of Sydney's Maths and Science Ambassador.

The event is being held to address the concern of teachers and academics about how insufficient maths knowledge is leaving high school students poorly prepared to pursue tertiary studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"It is fitting to be announcing Adam's position at this conference as he will inspire students to realise both the enjoyment and opportunities maths offers."

Commenting on his appointment Adam Spencer said, "The position of ambassador is a thrill and an honour - my years studying mathematics at Sydney were stimulating and extremely formative. I can't wait to spread the gospel of the importance of mathematics and science education."

"Now more than ever Australia needs to build its knowledge economy and at the heart of this will be mathematicians and scientists. I'll be doing everything I can to encourage talented young Aussies to get on board."

Adam Spencer has been a popular media presenter for almost twenty years, most recently as the host of ABC breakfast radio.

His passion for science led him to host ABC television programs Quantum and FAQ. In partnership with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at the University of Sydney, Adam has presented the TV series Sleek Geeks, which combines comedy and groundbreaking science, and toured the show for National Science Week.

The author of the Little Book of Numbers, Adam explained his love of prime numbers and the magic of maths to an enraptured TED audience in early 2013. Since being posted online the talk has had over a million views.